Rosita Arvigo

Rosita Arvigo is a Doctor of Naprapathy, ethnobotanist, spiritual healer, and author of six books on traditional healing of Central America. Dr. Arvigo has lived among the Maya in San Ignacio, Belize for the past thirty-five years. For thirteen years she apprenticed to the most famous Maya shaman-healer, Don Elijio Panti, who was born in Peten, Guatemala. Not only has Rosita’s life’s work kept Maya medicine alive, but she has been instrumental in cataloging and preserving thousands of healing plants and trees of Belize through her work with Dr. Michael Balick of The New York Botanical Garden and the Belize Ethnobotany Project which ran from 1987-1996.

Born: 1941

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Education: Doctor of Naprapathy

Occupation: Ethnobotanist, traditional healer, teacher, author

Expeditions: More than 200 expeditions in the jungles of Central America

Favorite place to be: Deep in the scary jungle

Best discoveries: Several previously unknown plants once used by the ancient Maya people

Favorite items in the field: Compass, magnifying glass, good shoes, hat, and vest